The Crafter
by mamamittens
Summary: Okay, so maybe catching the attention of religious fanatics- who totally believe I can create immortality and their beloved idol, the Phoenix- wasn't the best idea. But it's not like I did it on purpose! At least I get to be entertained by the feud between my goggles and Tony Stark, though I'm not sure how that started! I just hope I can keep up with my item requests!
1. Chapter 1

A small head was bent over a work desk filled with rather ordinary looking items. A bright spotlight was perfectly adjusted onto the work in front of the small but also seemingly ordinary girl. She was fifteen, her hair was a smoky gray that matched her eyes, and her hair was clipped short for a girl. It was just long enough that on a man it would be considered an overgrown crew cut save for three braids on her left temple, just above the headband strap for convenience, that hung just past her earlobe. These braids were fastened with a colorful array of glass beads. They were also tucked behind her ear while she worked. She was a little pale, not having the time to go outside very often, and wore a wide leather headband that a pair of specially made goggles sat on. Right now these goggles rested firmly over her eyes, though they seemed to be rather like aviator goggles, but this too seemed normal. After all, when you work with small and pointy things, it's common sense to protect your eyes. But as you may have guessed, she was far from ordinary. She crafted special items and sold them over a website called: The Crafter's Shoppe. On the website she went by the name Crafter. Her workmanship was flawless. Every item she made quickly sold, and boy, did she make many. But this wasn't the special thing about her, well, not entirely. What made her special, as well as her crafts, was the abilities they had. Good luck charms actually brought good luck to those who fulfilled certain condition, believing in the charm and owning it for one, as well as other charms for daily life. She also made jewelry with special effects. Basically, she could make an item and give it a power, or "Effect", on the user or environment. She was an independent, given special license to live on her own and be responsible for herself, seeing as how she could provide for herself and she already finished her required schooling. Usually emancipation of a minor isn't so easy, but her parents had died prior to the incident, and it wasn't that difficult to convince the legal authorities that she would be fine on her own. Better than tumbling through foster care, that's for sure.

Who is this strange, independent young woman you ask? Why, that's me. Amanda Jones. I would say something else, maybe along the lines of "my friends call me Mandy", but I really didn't have any friends. I mostly worked at home, and when I did go out the adults either thought I was a runaway, or that I was some immature child. Sure I have my moments, but I have an extra special brand of crazy, what excuse do they have? You wouldn't believe how many times "concerned adults" would call the cops to try and take me home again. I carried the paperwork so they wouldn't have to stay here long. I even offered them a soda and cookies while they read the paperwork to make sure it's legit. After a while the cops would just put hang up the moment my address and name was mentioned. I really couldn't blame them. There are way too many nosey people out there. Anyway, it was a normal Saturday night for me. Or maybe it was Tuesday night? Could be daytime for all I know, but I didn't feel worn out, so I probably haven't been at this for very long. I was currently working on a dream catcher, one that would work every time, and I was making it from scratch. Sure, I could go out and buy one, paint it up, enchant it, and then sell it, but I liked quality in my work. Enchanting, or giving an item an Effect, from scratch, lasts way longer than an last minute addition. It's also easier to stabilize, and therefore, less stress on my mana. I say mana, but I don't necessarily mean it. It's just the closest I could come to naming the energy I use to embed things with powers. I just finished tying on the last feather when someone knocked on my front door. I easily steered around boxes of merchandise to be mailed off as soon as possible- oops!- and made it to the front door. I kicked a few boxes out of the way, assured they weren't fragile by lack of breaking glass, and opened the door only to be greeted by a tall stranger with a status above his head.

Now, let me clear something up here before moving on. My goggles are many things. I made them myself, mostly because I couldn't see that great far away, but also to see other things. I gave the goggles many Effects, these Effects I could turn off and on at my leisure. One of them is, for lack of better explanation: Video Game Visualization. You know how in RPG games people often have words above their heads or health bars and such? That's pretty much what it does. I could even, by audio clue, such as requesting the information, see statistics about items and people. Let's say someone wanted to play a trick on me and gave me a laxative cookie, with this special Effect, I could see the statistics as such:

Level: Inedible

Laxative Cookies

Food… Maybe

When it comes to food and drinks, the level is often shown as a description rather than a number. I guess if it was some advanced robot disguised as a cookie it would have a level, and it would probably look something like this:

Level: 3

Robot Cookies

Not Food

Let's continue on now that that's explained. I opened the door and was greeted by a status of the stranger.

Level: 56

Agent Hawkeye

Clint Barton

Human

Now this was unusual. Usually, people don't have nicknames prominent enough to show up. Or labels that give them special abilities for that matter, both are the same in the view of my goggles. The fact that he was called an agent and was level 56 told me that this was a very special visit. Not one to dance around the subject I waved him in so he could find his own way to the couch. Esh, my place was a total mess. I really need to find somewhere to put these boxes. "Come on in, Agent Hawkeye. What's a level such as yourself doing at a place like this?" I think I need to get out more if that's how I greet a total stranger. His blue eyes widened in shock and confusion. His blond hair was clipped short and he wore a casual purple tee shirt with dark wash jeans and a leather jacket.

"Pardon me, Amanda Jones, but I'm here on behalf of S.H.E.I.L.D., we'd like you to join the Avengers Initiative." oh boy, the man looked like he was wading in the middle of thirty, but surely this is a joke? A notification window popped up, informing me that it was not.

Party Invite:

Avengers.

Will you accept?

Yes or No

"Well, I have no idea what any of that means. Mind explaining a few things?" his eyes seemed to harden at my reluctance. Jeez, what died in his Cheerios?

"It's not something we have time to talk about. SHEILD is aware of your abilities, and so are other interested parties. You either join or I will be forced to take you in myself." I sighed in annoyance before looking him in the eyes.

"Status." I said, irritated that I had to do it this way. It was a little invasive, but it was written with more than a little sass. My goggles had quite the sense of humor.

Name: Clint Barton

Class: Human

Sub-Class: Assassin, Archer

Level: 56

Label/Nickname: Agent Hawkeye, Hawkeye

Health:5000/5000

Mana: 0/0

Exp: 23.5%

Various statistics such as intellect and strength…

Clint Barton works for S.H.E.I.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, as an assassin. He favors the bow and arrow with a colorful selection of add-ons that give his arrows special abilities that are decidedly not magical. Knows absolutely no magic and fears it ever since he was compromised by Loki, God of Mischief. He is a part of the Avengers Initiative along with a select group of individuals lead by Director Nick Fury. Enjoys being a weirdo, spying on people in vents, and lived in the circus with his brother-

I dismissed the status after that point. I think I learned enough. Hawkeye looked at me warily before speaking again.

"Have you made a decision?" I snorted at that. Like I had much of a choice.

"First thing though, precisely what is it you think I do?" he seemed to detect the sarcasm in my statement but countered it with an easy smile.

"We know you have the ability to create items with certain… properties." well, that's as close as anyone was going to get I guess. I noticed the strange look he was giving me and paused for a moment. Was there something wrong with my outfit? I mean, sure, they were flannel pajamas that may smell a bit- I sniffed the air and was instantly conscious of how I smelled like I hadn't showered in a while. That happened sometimes. While I'm working it's not often that there's a stopping point.

"Well, like it or not, I'm can't leave just yet. Give me an hour and I should be ready to leave, considering I don't have a choice in the first place." his face scrunched up unpleasantly and I could tell he was about to decline, "I do have work that I need to finish up here. You can sit on the couch and wait a bit. Trust me when I say no one is getting in here. Oh, and don't touch anything. Wouldn't do if you suddenly turned into a bird or something." I said, leaving no room for argument, before turning and leaving the room. I have a lot of work to do. I tapped the side of my goggles, turning off the VGV Effect for the moment. I really didn't need status windows telling me of Hawkeye's impatience popping up in the shower.

* * *

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have just thinking up all the cool things she can create! I know this power of hers is slightly omniscient but it does have limitations, which will be revealed soon, I assure you. If you have any recommendations for upcoming character status windows, like the bio or something, do tell me. Oh, and this will be revealed soon also, but the goggles- nearly an entity of it's own- does not approve of the nicknames Tony gives his teammates. Something along the lines of a technological rivalry of the VGV Effect and Tony's own tech, which I hope amuses you greatly. Any mistakes I make, just correct me and move on like a normal person, and please don't burn down her apartment before she can move out with your flames! That's all!

Keep Calm and OC' On!


	2. Fury's Secret

Was he always so serious during a mission? Seriously, this guy has not spoken a word for the past half hour that it took to drive to a very secretive plane and board it. On the stealth black plane was a man in a black trench coat with a black eye patch. He seemed to be some kind of authority figure, probably the director for Shield or something. This was confirmed when my VGV Effect suddenly kicked in and displayed this above his head:

Level: ~It's a Secret~

Director Fury

Nick Fury

Human

Well then, that's rare. If someone has a level that's higher than my own by far, I won't be able to view it, but this may also happen if VGV deems it something I don't need to know, which is rare. Judging by the fact that it says "It's a Secret" instead of just question marks may be a crack at the fact he also runs a secret organization. Well, it's not like I'm going to fight him, so I guess it's alright. But now I'm curious.

"Thank you for cooperating with us, Miss Jones."

"You didn't really give me much of a choice, besides, I heard something about "other interested parties", care to elaborate, Director Fury?" if he was unnerved by how I knew who he was, he didn't show it.

"Your business, The Crafter's Shoppe, is doing quite well. It appears some organizations have discovered that the item you make are… special." I hum in agreement as a flight attendant directs me to a seat in the first class interior of the plane.

"Well, they are all handmade by me, I guess that can be considered special." I noticed the bottle of water, identical to the ones in the seats around the plane, that wasn't really cold. I dug around in my bag and pulled out my Ice Effect lipstick before taking off the cap and blowing on it in front of the bottle. It was instantly cold by the breeze. I put it away and cracked open the bottle, enjoying the cool and crisp taste.

"Like I said, special. They hope to use that for their advantage, several aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty for someone with a power like yours. The power to imbue object with special abilities." I paused at his deliberate wording and looked over at him before smiling.

"Well then, I suppose it's very charitable of Shield to worry about little ole me, but what does Shield get in return? I'd feel awful if you went so far out of your way for nothing." yeah, my people skills need some major polishing if I think that's anything close to subtle.

"We know you're not very fight-oriented, so we want you as a support for the Avengers, you try and make items to help them when you can, and they make sure you don't end up in danger. Besides, it wouldn't look good to have a tiny fifteen-year-old in battle with a bunch of superheroes."

"Oi…" I protested lightly, not liking his description of me, regardless of how accurate it was. "Well, I guess it's not a bad deal, as long as I can still complete orders for my site. Girls gotta work."

"I'm not sure if someone who takes an average of four months to complete a lucky bracelet should be saying that…" Hawkeye muttered, earning him a glare from me.

"I don't charge until I send out their orders! Glad to know you can tease and talk like a normal person though, Hawkeye." I shot back before sticking my tongue out at him.

"How did you know? Our names, I mean. I don't recall mentioning it to you." I let out an irritated huff.

"I can't see things clearly if they're more than two feet in front of my face, so I made these goggles. But just using them as protection and sight would be boring, so I gave them a few… Effects. One being VGV, Video Game Visualization. Ever play an RPG game where everyone has a status over their head with their name and health, stuff like that? That's basically what it does. Helps when I forget what an item does, I can just ask and it'll show me everything I need to know, but my goggles are a bit sassy so some things can be a bit weird."

"Like what?"

"Director Fury doesn't display a level, instead it says "It's a Secret", though whether his level is so far above mine it's not funny or if it's just a crack at his job, I'm not sure." I said, shrugging my shoulders and enjoying the amused look on the two men's faces. The plane jerked as it took off, the men being seated across from me and buckled in.

"Really? Can I see?" I look over at Hawkeye for a moment, unsure if I should trust him or not, before I relented. If he didn't give them back I could always just freeze him and break him into pieces for a nice cup of lemonade. Freeze-Bird Style. I slipped off the goggles and handed them over, amused when he pressed them to his eyes like he was afraid of what he might see. He looked over at Director Fury, who seemed to be giving him a very patient look, similar to a parent watching over a goofy child, and Hawkeye laughed, confirming what I saw. Then he turned around to me and stopped. He squinted for a moment before giving a look of confusion.

"You do know how to read, don't you?" I asked like he was a small child. He silently nodded but his expression didn't change.

"Uh… why can't I see your level and why is your species name "Crafter"?" I gave him a patient smile before chuckling.

"My power isn't exactly normal, so the closest category for species that my goggles can label is "Crafter", though whether it's made up or not, I don't know. My level on the other hand, either my goggles doesn't want to tell you or my level is so much higher than yours that you can't see it." I can't give away everything just yet, now can I? I may not have entered this entirely prepared or willing, but as Hawkeye gave my goggles back, I couldn't help but think this was going to change something. Good or bad, I wasn't entirely sure, but something was certainly going to change.

* * *

I was a little stuck at first, so if it seems forced in the beginning, that's why. I still love this story and the little detail, seriously! Finally, a more playful Barton comes out! I figured he would be a little more serious during a mission ever since the Avengers incident with Loki. Lol, did anyone else but me find the whole secret level bit with Fury funny? I couldn't think of what his stats would be, so I just went with that and it... it's just awesome. Anyway,

Keep Calm and OC' On!


	3. How Did Tony Stark Piss Off My Goggles?

Okay, there's been something I've been meaning to mention but I forgot, and no it's not that I do not own the Avengers or related persons/places/things, except, of course, my OC and plot related devices. The VGV Effect is inspired from a Mahnwa(?), Korean comic, called The Gamer. It is really good so far, entertaining, and good amounts of action with fair artwork. Just type in "Read The Gamer Online" and you should pop right up to a link for it. I didn't have to pay or anything, though it could be a printed book, i'm not sure, just saying. Anyway, continuing with the story now!

* * *

We landed on the roof of a big building in New York with a big red "A" on the side. I wasn't entirely sure what it was for, considering I really didn't get out much, but I remember hearing about a similar tower that Tony Stark owned. I wonder where that was and what he did for a living. This question was, more or less, answered when we exited the plane only to be greeted by a very irritated man. He was kind of short, still taller than me, and had a weird facial hair ensemble. Very unconventional. His hair and eyes were brown and something about him spoke of mechanical things. Maybe it was the grease on his AC/DC shirt and jeans. But it was more along the lines of his status.

Level: 36

Iron Man

Anthony "Tony" Stark

Human

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't just park on my building whenever, Blackbeard." Tony said casually as he nodded to Hawkeye, "Sup Legolas. Who's the kid? A secret love child with a hippie? I'm Tony Stark, but you already know that, I'm sure." he came over and offered to shake my hand. I wasn't a stranger to dirt and grease so I didn't hesitate to accept the handshake.

"Unlike someone, I'm a responsible adult, Stark. Don't sully my reputation."

"And I'm an unrelated emancipated minor who will be staying with the Avengers in the Avengers Tower… what is the Avengers anyway and where is this tower dedicated to it?" I questioned out loud when I realized I had no idea what I was getting into. The three stared at me before Fury stepped in.

"Miss Jones doesn't get out much so you'll have to explain it to her, I have a meeting to go to. Hawkeye, make sure Stark doesn't… do anything stupid." and with that, he left me alone with Hawkeye and Tony Stark, his plane flying off into the New York skyline.

"That was dramatic. I guess."

"Uh, why's a kid who knows nothing staying here."

"Why am I being dissed by someone of a lower level?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, VGV Effect, I can see your stats like in an RPG game. Why's your title Iron Man?"

"How old are you?"

"fifteen."

"Are you sure you weren't hiding under a rock for the past two years?"

"I've been crafting items to sell."

"So you are a hippy. Let me guess, you hold my past involvement in weapons and war against me?"

"You have a past involvement in weapons and war?"

"Stark, stop it. Now." Hawkeye tried to convince Tony but he was more determined than that.

"Where have you been living?"

"In an apartment I paid for in Michigan. Crafting takes most of my time so I don't get out much."

"Clearly. Shall I prepare a crib for the kid, Legolas?" I was about to say something when I noticed a change in Iron Man's status. Or should I say, FeMale's status?

"Your title just changed to FeMale. I think you upset my goggles."

"Well, your goggles can-" he was interrupted before he could even continue.

"Tony Stark! Are you bothering the poor girl?"

"See, look what you did." Tony said sullenly, gesturing to a very irritated woman. She was very proper with her black pencil skirt and white blouse. Her strawberry blond hair was pulled into a neat bun and she had a folder in her left hand.

Level: 22

Virgina "Pepper" Potts

Human

"Come on inside. Tony, stop being mean."

"She started it!"

"How did I start anything?"

"You said you didn't know who the Avengers were, or even what they were! You don't even know who I am!"

"And you're offended because…?" I said in irritation as we followed Pepper inside.

"Everyone knows who I am!"

"Your title changed again. Now it's Man Child. You really must have angered my goggles, Man Child."

"You're just making things up! Those goggles don't appear high tech at all!"

"That's because they're not. I made them myself so I can see and gave them different abilities. It's not technology, it's Mana, though you'd probably call it magic. But rest assured, they are two entirely different things." I added as an afterthought when Hawkeye began to look a little queasy.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not. Ask Hawkeye. I let him look through it earlier."

"Then let me see them."

"No, I don't trust you."

"Aw, come on!"

"Maybe later, I am very nearsighted and your place looks nice."

"I thought you said you didn't know anything."

"I didn't say that, but you mentioned owning it earlier." that shut him up, but I had a feeling it wasn't for long. This was proven correct when we ran into another guy, this time in the kitchen, who was cooking something very spicy on the stove. I suspected it was a dish from India due to the familiar smell of exotic spices.

Level: 34(Unstable)

Doctor Bruce Banner

Modified Human

What in the world was up with his status? It seemed to be something personal though, so no matter how curious I was, I couldn't just as why he was called a "Modified Human". Or about his level... or can I?


End file.
